Matt Duchene was born on January 16, 1991 in Haliburton, Ontario. After two seasons with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL, Duchene was selected third overall in the NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, the club he had cheered for his entire life.
It wouldn't take Duchene long to establish himself in Colorado. He cracked the Avalanche lineup out of his first training camp and began to hear comparisons to past Avs great Joe Sakic. He led all rookies in scoring with 55 points and placed second among first year players with 24 goals. He also helped get the Avalanche back to the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Following his rookie season in the NHL, Duchene joined Team Canada for the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany and was nominated for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.
